TORONTO – Vladimir Guerrero Jr. takes groundballs at third base regularly during the off-season and while it’s also a regular part of his pre-game work in-season, he began doing so more intently over the past couple of weeks.
“You have to be prepared to play defence. Be ready no matter where you play,” the Toronto Blue Jays first baseman explained. “I have to do it just in case of a day like today.”
Today is Sunday, and the case is Guerrero’s first big-league start at third base since Sept. 27, 2019. The Blue Jays moved the three-time All-Star across the diamond during training camp ahead of the 2020 pandemic season and he’s played there just twice since, covering two innings in 2021 and two innings in 2022.
He found out about the start on his way out of the clubhouse after Saturday’s 8-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
“I said, ‘I’m ready. I’m ready for everything,’” Guerrero relayed.
Whether this is a one-off or part of a longer-term plan wasn’t immediately clear. Guerrero said he didn’t know if the switch would be for longer than one game, and manager John Schneider doesn’t do pre-game media on Sundays.
But if the Blue Jays did want to make this a regular alignment, Guerrero is willing.
“Yeah,” he said. “If they need me for a long time at third, I’m going to be at third. If they don’t need me for a long time, I’m going to be at first again. Right now I feel good. If they need me catching, I don’t know if I can do that, but I’ll do everything for my team.”
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